I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to service carts for skilled tradesmen. More particularly, the present invention relates to service carts that are transportable in a van or truck to be used as a mobile storage unit on a job site and ramp devices for use in conjunction with a van or truck.
II. Description of the Prior Art
At present, the efficiency of mobile skilled trade and service personnel has been severely hampered due to problems associated with the transportation of essential tools and materials from the van or service vehicle to the point at the job site where they are needed. Most contractors or tradesmen have shelving or drawer units within or about their vehicles to organize their tools and materials. The shelving on the vehicles allows the tradesmen to transport their tools to the job site. However, once at the job site, the tradesmen must physically carry the tools from the vehicle to the actual working area.
The task of transporting the needed equipment and tools to the work site can be laborious, time-consuming and an inefficient process since it usually entails many trips back and forth to the service vehicle. As a result, the tools and equipment may be deposited in a haphazard manner over an area of floor space on the job site. This may result in the misplacement or loss of several tools.
As the work progresses during the day, additional trips back and forth to the service vehicle may be required as unexpected tools or materials may be needed to complete a job. At the end of the workday, the entire tool unloading process must be reversed. This process consumes several valuable hours of a skilled tradesman's day for which he may be working or traveling home.
Several service carts are available on the market at the present time to assist in solving this material-handling problem. One such service cart is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,981,549 to Hotton. This mobile tool stand is comprised of a multi-drawer rectangular housing with a four-wheeled base. A handle extends from the upper end of the housing for transporting the cart. Another common service cart available on the market is comprised of single or multi-tiered storage areas with two fixed and two swivel casters for moving the unit about the work area. These types of service carts are designed solely for "in-house" use. The structure of these carts is unsuitable for transportation over rough, unlevel parking areas. Further, the profile of these carts and their corresponding wheel bases will not structurally support travel within a vehicle at higher rates of speed without tipping or spilling the stored tools.
Another type of mobile service container presently available for use by tradesmen is commonly known as a "gang box." This is a container formed of a heavy steel enclosure that provides a single internal common storage area. The gang box is not equipped with a wheel base, therefore, it is used specifically for jobs of long duration and stored at the job site.
A disadvantage of these previously known service carts and containers is the inability to transport the carts from the tradesman's garage or storage area into his vehicle and then to the job site. A further disadvantage of the service carts is their unstable profile which prevents them from being transported across rough surface areas, such as those typically found on a job site, without tipping or spilling tools or equipment.